Royal Mail workers vote to end pay dispute after 10% pay rise offer

Royal Mail workers have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a deal to end a long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) has announced.

The union said that 75.84 per cent of members voted in favour of accepting the deal offered by Royal Mail, while 24.16 per cent opposed the offer, which includes a 10 per cent pay rise over three years and a one-off lump sum of £500.

CWU said 67.1 per cent of its members voted in the ballot. The union’s general secretary, Dave Ward, told members: “The deal has been overwhelmingly endorsed, and we thank you for your support in that.

“We completely understand how people are feeling at the moment about what’s taking place in the workplace.

“We’d like to be able to say this brings an end to many of the things seen over the last year, undoubtedly the most difficult period of our union and indeed the company, but we’ve got to be honest with you, unless we see a real change in the company’s attitude, it’s going to end in disaster.

“We hope that by you endorsing this agreement, we can start to have a different discussion now with the company going forward.”

He said that “if the company are willing to work with us, Royal Mail can still have a bright future”.

Royal Mail workers have staged a series of walkouts since last year, including in the run-up to Christmas.

A company spokesperson said: “The agreement provides Royal Mail a platform for the next phase of stabilising the business whilst continuing to drive efficiencies and change.

“The operational changes in the agreement are designed to be good for customers, increasing our ability to improve services and quality; good for employees, retaining job security and giving people a pay rise; good for the environment, reducing the company’s reliance on domestic air, further reducing carbon emissions; and good for shareholders, supporting the long-term sustainability of the business.

“The three-year pay deal agreed provides certainty for employees and ensures Royal Mail remains the industry leader on pay, terms and conditions.”

Kate Nowicki, director of Dispute Resolution at the conciliation service Acas, said: “We are pleased to have helped the CWU and Royal Mail reach an agreed deal.

“I want to thank the parties for their commitment and patience in Acas talks.”